NFC East

DALLAS COWBOYS

QB Tony Romo suffered a broken left collarbone Monday and probably will miss the rest of the season. Romo suffered the injury in the second quarter when Giants linebacker Michael Boley burst in untouched from the left side, tackled Romo and drove his shoulder into the ground. The Cowboys will turn to 38-year-old Jon Kitna, who has not played regularly since losing his starting job after five games of the 2008 season with the Lions. Kitna has a good understanding of the offense and his arm should be strong enough to make most of throws he’s required to make, but he lacks mobility. That might expose him to even more sacks because the Cowboys’ offensive line has struggled much of the season.Romo’s mobility made up for that. Kitna led the Cowboys to one scoring fourth-quarter scoring drive in their loss to the Giants. ... The Cowboys, who were criticized after generating just four turnovers in their first five games, collected five turnovers against the Giants. Dallas had three interceptions and two fumbles, which helped account for 20 of their 35 points against the Giants. The Cowboys surpassed their interception total this season, and matched their total of fumble recoveries. — Jean-Jacques Taylor

NEW YORK GIANTS

The Giants are winning despite a load of turnovers. Monday night, QB Eli Manning threw three interceptions and RBs Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs each lost a fumble. That usually is a recipe for failure, but the Giants are somehow overcoming their mistakes. Two of Manning’s interceptions against the Cowboys came on deflected passes that glanced off the hands of his receivers. That has been a common problem, especially early in games. ... The Giants are getting better-than-expected play out of MLB Jonathan Goff, who is in his first season as a full-time starter. When veteran Keith Bulluck was signed one week before training camp, it was almost a foregone conclusion that Bulluck would supplant Goff in the middle but it never happened. Goff has proved he can handle the defensive calls and be a forceful presence against the run. Bulluck eventually was moved to outside linebacker. Goff isn't an every-down player and usually is off the field in passing situations, however. — Paul Schwartz

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

The objective during the bye week is to get healthy. They played against Tennessee without four major starters—QB Michael Vick, DT Brodrick Bunkley, LT Jason Peters and WR DeSean Jackson. Three of them made the Pro Bowl last season. None of the four are sure shots to play Nov. 7 vs. Indianapolis. Vick (ribs) is likely to play after missing three games, but coach Andy Reid said he isn’t certain Vick will be ready. Jackson (concussion) cleared his exams and should be good to go. Peters is coming off arthroscopic knee surgery. And the team isn’t certain that Bunkley, who was originally though to be out for the season with an elbow injury, will be able to make an impact when back. The team needs Peters after backup King Dunlap hyper-extended his knee Sunday. Peters was walking without crutches the same day he underwent the knee scope, so the coaches are cautiously optimistic he’ll be ready Nov. 7. ... Second-year DT Antonio Dixon keeps showing his potential getting more action in Bunkley’s place. The stout Dixon already was being used on run downs to spell Bunkley and DT Mike Patterson but is showing an upfield burst the coaches prefer. Both of Dixon’s sacks have come in his last three games. — Geoff Mosher

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

RT Jammal Brown’s left knee and hip have continued to bother him, and it’s impacting his performance. Brown has not played well the past several games as his lateral movement clearly has been an issue. He also is unable to anchor with much power. The Bears targeted him Sunday, aligning Pro Bowl DE Julius Peppers more on Brown’s side, but the Redskins often countered by using a tight end to help. Brown is unable to bend, so any rusher who can get low will give him problems. The Redskins coaches recognize this and used backup Stephon Heyer for a series and part of another, to give Brown a break. But Heyer, inconsistent in pass protection, left the game with a sprained ankle. If healthy, Heyer could get more time this week at Detroit. ... FS Kareem Moore did not start vs. Chicago because he had swelling in his right knee, but he did play in the second half. Reed Doughty, who started, is more active in the box as a dime safety. — John Keim

NFC North

CHICAGO BEARS

Chris Williams was drafted in the ’08 first round to play left tackle, but where he’ll play next is anyone’s guess—if he plays at all. With LG Roberto Garza expected back after the bye, Nov. 7 at Buffalo, Williams could go back to left tackle or move to right tackle, the position he played most of ’09. Or he could ride the bench. Williams struggled Sunday against the strength of Washington DT Albert Haynesworth. When he played left tackle before a hamstring pull, the Bears’ line did not play appreciably better. The coaches like how new LT Frank Omiyale has performed since moving from right tackle. Williams bends his knees well, and the coaches say he is a better run blocker than pass blocker, the typical trait of a right tackle. Wherever he ends up, it’s more changes and less cohesiveness for a line that already has been switched around four times. ... RG Edwin Williams sustained a back injury Sunday and was replaced by Lance Louis, the player Williams had originally replaced. If Louis takes back the spot, and Omiyale moves back to right tackle with Williams going to left tackle, the Bears would wind up with their Week 1 line. — Gene Chamberlain

DETROIT LIONS

Recently acquired LB Bobby Carpenter will learn to play inside and outside positions, but the decision on where he’ll get the most time won’t be made until the health of MLB DeAndre Levy is determined. Levy (ankle) has been out several weeks, and if it looks like he won’t be able to line up again Carpenter would be put in the middle. If Levy is going to be healthy, Carpenter will go to the outside where the status of starter Zack Follett is unknown. Follett (concussion) was carted off the field two weeks ago, and the coaches are going to be cautious with him. The linebacker play has been weak and Carpenter, who might be better in a 4-3 scheme than a 3-4, will get plenty of chances to prove himself. ... CB Jack Williams (knee) came off the PUP list and is practicing, and he should be activated soon. The coaches likely won’t make a decision until Saturday but can’t wait too long: They cut CBs Dante Wesley and Paul Pratt last week and didn’t replace either. — Tom Kowalski

GREEN BAY PACKERS

The defense has lost two more major contributors because of injury. LB Brady Poppinga (knee) and DE Mike Neal (rotator cuff) will both have season-ending surgery, joining MLB Nick Barnett, S Morgan Burnett, DT Justin Harrell and S Derrick Martin on I.R. To make matters worse, both DE Cullen Jenkins (calf) and NT Ryan Pickett (ankle) are big question marks this week vs. the Jets after leaving Sunday night’s game. The defensive line is dangerously thin with B.J. Raji the anchor and rookie C.J. Wilson and Jarius Wynn trying to pick up the slack. Jenkins is the unit’s best pass rusher, so the impact of his loss would be obvious. Pickett’s loss would hurt vs. the run because coordinator Dom Capers was able to play nickel on first down with the 335-pound Raji and Pickett together. Now, he might have to activate newly acquired Mike Montgomery and go with a four-man rotation. The Jets will try to pound the ball on the ground against the weakened line. ... QB Aaron Rodgers has not been fluid despite a lot of passing yards. He made several bad decisions Sunday and had communication problems with his receivers. Now is the time he must carry the team, but it just hasn’t happened. He’ll face a brutal test against the Jets and must avoid some of the risky throws he made vs. Minnesota. ... WR Donald Driver should be closer to full strength this week after battling through a thigh injury. His string of 139 consecutive games with a catch was broken Sunday. — Tom Silverstein

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Coach Brad Childress did not rule QB Brett Favre out of this week’s game at New England, but it certainly appears Favre’s record for consecutive regular season starts will end at 291 with the news Monday that he has two small fractures in his left ankle. Favre, who was in a walking boot Monday, sustained the injuries while being dragged to the ground by Packers OLB Brad Jones during the first of his three interceptions Sunday. Said Childress: “I wouldn’t rule anything out in terms of the end of the week. Don’t really have a time-frame work on it.” Favre had surgery on the same ankle this past offseason, but Childress said an MRI Monday revealed that Favre doesn’t need further surgery. According to Childress, Favre sustained a stress fracture and an avulsion fracture. The latter is a fracture in which the tendon or ligament pulls off part of the bone. Childress said Favre’s famous iron-man streak would not factor into the decision on who to start Sunday. If Favre can’t play, Tarvaris Jackson would get his first start since a home playoff loss to the Eagles that ended the ’08 season. Favre arrived the next season and led the Vikings to the NFC championship game. Jackson’s ineffectiveness and inconsistency are the reasons Favre is in Minnesota. Jackson is 10-9 as a starter. And in that wild-card playoff loss to the Eagles, he was 15-of-35 for 164 yards and a passer rating of 45.4. — Mark Craig

NFC South

ATLANTA FALCONS

WR Roddy White’s 11-catch, 201-yard and two-touchdown performance Sunday was one for the Falcons’ record books. The 201 yards was the second-best output in franchise history; he set the mark with 210 yards in a game last season. White added to his team-record for most 100-yard games, now at 21 in his career. With 54 catches for 747 yards, White is on pace to catch 123 passes, which would shatter Terance Mathis’ record of 111, set in 1994. White set the record for most yards receiving in a season with 1,382 in ’08. White now has 369 catches. Mathis is the franchise leader with 573 followed by Andre Rison’s 423. ... Coach Mike Smith says FB Ovie Mughelli’s hamstring injury is not serious, but he will be one of several players who get extra rest during this week’s bye. — D. Orlando Ledbetter

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Coach John Fox insists the problem isn’t physical, but there’s something amiss with RB Jonathan Stewart, in particular, and the running game, in general. Stewart, who led the Panthers with 1,133 yards rushing (5.1 per carry) last season, has just 148 yards on 50 attempts this year (3.0 per carry). With the Panthers typically trailing, he hasn’t received consistent work but he also hasn’t looked like himself. Stewart missed most of the offseason work for a third consecutive year, but he always has been there for regular-season games. He had surgery to repair an Achilles problem this offseason, after battling toe, foot and ankle problems the last two years. He got a season-high 14 carries in Sunday’s win over the 49ers, but managed jsut 29 yards and a long of 5. Said Fox: “I don’t know if there’s a player in the National Football League that’s 100 percent healthy. But he’s healthy enough to play. I think any of our running backs, we haven’t taken off. You go through spurts, just like turnovers, takeaways and all those types of things. You’ve just got to keep plugging away, and we’ll do that. I don’t think his health has anything to do with it.” Getting him back could be important this week at St. Louis, since RB DeAngelo Williams sustained an unspecified foot injury Sunday. Fox offered no update on his condition Monday. — Darin Gantt

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

RB Reggie Bush (broken fibula) hopes to play this week vs. Pittsburgh after missing five games. He said he has been cleared to play and that X-rays show the bone has healed. He’ll get a better feel for just how strong the bone is at practice. The biggest concern with the leg is how it will hold up to direct hits. Once Bush gets back into his rhythm in the next week or two, he should be full speed ahead. Clearly, the offense has missed Bush. His return won’t solve everything, but he will make things harder for opponents since he is so versatile as a runner and receiver. Even if Bush doesn’t make a direct impact, his presence might open up things for others players by drawing attention from Steelers’ linebackers. ... RB Pierre Thomas (ankle) also is expected back soon, but a clearly frustrated coach Sean Payton said he doesn’t want to speculate anymore on when Thomas might return. Payton wouldn’t confirm or deny a Fox Sports report that Thomas has ended up in Payton’s “doghouse” because of his slow recovery. But he did admit that everyone has been frustrated by how long the process has taken. Thomas said the report is news to him and that he’s as frustrated as anyone after being sidelined since Week 3. Thomas said he originally was told that it would take the ankle 4-6 weeks to heal, though he hoped to return sooner. On that timeline, he should be close to 100 percent when the Saints return from their Week 10 bye. It remains to be seen how much of the load he’ll have to share with rookie RB Chris Ivory. But chances are, Thomas will work his way back into Payton’s good graces since he’s so effective as a runner, receiver and pass protector. — Mike Triplett

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

The Bucs must play better in the first half of games if to capitalize on this 4-2 record. This team has played poorly in the first half even when it has won this year, and coach Raheem Morris is at a loss as to why. Morris’ halftime talks are working, though. The team has come from behind and won in the fourth quarter three times because of the play of QB Josh Freeman and the effort of the defense. The defense has held opponent scoreless in the second half in three of the team’s four victories. ... The team released TE Jerramy Stevens on Monday, two days after he was arrested and charged with possession of cannabis and possession of cannabis with intent to distribute. The loss is big because no one besides starter Kellen Winslow has good receiving skills. Stevens could get open down the seam and make a big play. The loss of Stevens means there will be a big dropoff should Winslow get hurt. And with Winslow’s surgically-repaired right knee needing constant attention, the chances of the team losing Winslow always are pretty good. — Roy Cummings

NFC West

ARIZONA CARDINALS

QB Max Hall (concussion) will start Sunday vs. Tampa Bay if cleared. Hall left Sunday’s game after being sacked in the third quarter by Seattle DE Chris Clemons on an apparent helmet-to-helmet hit. No penalty was called, and Hall lost a fumble on the play. It’s the second consecutive game in which Hall has sustained a head injury. As a rookie, Hall needs all the practice time he can get, so it might be hard to start him Sunday if he’s not cleared for mid-week practices. If Hall can’t play, Derek Anderson would start. Rookie John Skelton, the third quarterback, is not ready to play, although the coaches are optimistic about his future. ... RB Beanie Wells could start his first NFL game this week. Tim Hightower lost his third fumble of the year against Seattle and struggled in pass protection last week vs. New Orleans. The offense needs a spark, and Wells could provide it. Hightower has been starting over Wells because of his versatility, but his fumbles continue to be a problem. Coach Ken Whisenhunt has been a big fan of Hightower’s but was non-committal Monday when asked which back would start going forward. — Kent Somers

ST. LOUIS RAMS

RB Steven Jackson didn’t tell the coaches that his finger was hurting until the flight home Sunday night. Turns out Jackson fractured the ring finger on his left hand. He underwent surgery Monday with two pins inserted. The Rams hope Jackson can play this week vs. Carolina. If not, some combination of Kenneth Darby and Keith Toston will try to get the Rams through. It’s a big dropoff—after Sunday’s games, Jackson was fourth in the NFL in rushing with 617 yards. Darby and Toston have combined for 117 yards on 40 carries. One potential backup the Rams passed on the waiver wire—LeGarrette Blount—pounded the Rams for 72 yards on 11 carries Sunday, sparking Tampa Bay’s second-half comeback. ... On Monday, coach Steve Spagnuolo declined to second-guess his decision to call two timeouts late in the first half with a 17-3 lead. Spagnuolo said he wanted to get the ball back and try to make it a three-score game. Instead, the timeouts gave Tampa just enough time to tack on a field goal in the closing seconds of the half—three points in what was a one-point victory. Game management continues to be questionable for Spagnuolo. — Jim Thomas

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

QB Alex Smith spent Monday morning at a London hospital having his injured left (non-throwing) shoulder examined and is still waiting to hear if he will be able to play this week vs. Denver. Smith was injured on a third-quarter sack vs. Carolina and still had his non-throwing arm in a sling Monday afternoon. Said Smith on Monday: “It’s all right. Could be better.” Smith said he’s still in pain and had not slept much since the team flew to London overnight. If Smith can’t play, coach Mike Singletary on Monday wouldn’t say whether backup David Carr, who struggling mightily at Carolina, would play or if he’d turn to practice-squad QB Nate Davis. — Associated Press

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

It’s too early to label rookie LT Russell Okung injury prone. For now, he’s just unlucky. For the second time in three months, a teammate fell into Okung, resulting in a high ankle sprain that makes it unlikely Okung will play this week at Oakland. Okung’s right ankle was injured in a Aug. 21 preseason game, causing him to miss the first three regular-season games. Okung injured his left ankle Sunday when TE Chris Baker fell into him. The impact of Okung’s absence was apparent thereafter. Seattle rushed for 55 yards on six carries while he was in the game and averaged 3 yards per carry after he left. The Seahawks also gave up a season-high five sacks to Arizona. If he can’t play this week, Tyler Polumbus would replace Okung and veteran Chester Pitts would serve as the backup. ... Rookie S Earl Thomas intercepted his fourth pass Sunday, giving him more interceptions in six games than any Seahawks safety has had in any of the previous five seasons. ... QB Matt Hasselbeck went his second consecutive game without being intercepted after he had been picked off at least once in each of his previous eight regular-season games entering the Week 6 game at Chicago. — Danny O’Neil